CURRENT ISSUE 1: SHORTCOMINGS IN SAFETY MANAGEMENT: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND RECOVERY

摘要

Strong economic performance in the nuclear business must be driven by excellence in nuclear operation and an uncompromising attitude to safety. If this balance is not maintained, then the ability of the utility to manage this technology safely will justifiably be challenged by the public and the nuclear safety regulator. Experience has shown that once nuclear installation performance has deteriorated to a level at which there are serious regulatory concerns about the adequacy of nuclear safety, then the magnitude and difficulty of the effort required to recover performance are such that the continued viability of the organization comes into question. An IAEA Working Group review of common factors from recent cases involving safety management problems revealed that in most cases considered, the utility senior executives, ranging from in some cases the Board of Directors and CEOs to senior site executives, did not have the nuclear business acumen or provide the leadership necessary for the management of a successful nuclear programme. A particular challenge facing the regulator in these situations is the difficulty inrndeveloping clear criteria which indicate when regulatory action becomes necessary in the case of gradually declining safety culture and associated management performance.